US Appeals court upholds Viktor Bout’s sentence

A Federal US Appeals Court has upheld the conviction of Russian businessman Viktor Bout despite defense suggestions of investigation irregularities, and repeated claims from the Russian authorities that Bout’s extradition to the US was illegal.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York rejected the
claim of Bout’s defense attorney, Albert Dayan that his client
had become the victim of a vindictive prosecution. Dayan said the
US government had sufficient motive to pursue the Russian
citizen, such as widespread concern" that Bout was engaged in
criminal conduct and his presence on many U.S. and United Nations
sanctions lists for several years.

Viktor Bout once owned a cargo airline which the media has
alleged was complicit in illegal weapons trafficking, but these
reports have never been proven. In 2008 Bout was arrested in
Thailand after a sting operation by US agents after he allegedly
admitted in a conversation that it was theoretically possible for
a foreign terrorist group to purchase anti-aircraft weapons.

In 2010 Bout was extradited to the United States, and one year
later was convicted of conspiracy to kill US citizens as the
alleged buyers of the weapons that he could in theory provide
could have been guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia (FARC) - a group the United States ranks as a terrorist
organization.

In April 2012 the businessman was sentenced to 25 years behind
bars and placed in a top security prison.

Russia has repeatedly blasted Bout’s extradition and sentence as
a violation of international law and as a political move. Russian
diplomats have also said they provided assistance to Bout’s
defense team as they sought his release. These efforts proved to
be futile , and in early September this year the Foreign Ministry
issued an official warning to Russian citizens advising them to
carefully choose international destinations if they had
suspicions that the US authorities could have any sort of claims
against them.

Russian diplomats went on to explain that the US court process
involving Russian citizens who were “practically abducted”
demonstrates an inclination towards conviction, even though they
are based on 'dubious' evidence.